


His Smile

by nhasablog



Category: Dead Poets Society (1989)
Genre: M/M, Pre-Slash, Smile, Tickling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-09
Updated: 2017-07-09
Packaged: 2018-11-30 00:47:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11452500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nhasablog/pseuds/nhasablog
Summary: Neil is sort of obsessed with Todd’s smile and the way he always turns it toward him, but he goes slightly overboard when trying to get him to show said smile, so of course Charlie arrives to lowkey help.





	His Smile

When Todd smiled, it was always at Neil. Neil might not even have had anything to do with what had caused the smile in the first place, but Todd still turned toward him every time if he could help it; showing teeth and glee and a rare carefreeness that he usually lacked. It had taken Neil weeks to notice it, and it was only brought to his attention because Charlie had commented on it. But now that he knew he couldn’t help but long for it. Long for something to make Todd grin so that he could do it in his direction.

Keating was speaking, but Neil was watching Todd; waiting for their teacher to say something remotely amusing to make him smile and turn to him as if to share the happiness. But Keating never said anything funny that period. At least not something that stood out. Instead he laced everything into more profound subjects, leaving them all in awe as usual, but Neil couldn’t help but to feel a little disappointed once the bell rang. One smile. That would’ve satisfied him, but Todd had spent the hour looking at Keating the way he was sure he himself had been looking at Todd. Intently and carefully, as if he was hanging onto every word. Had Neil been able to stop thinking of his smile he would’ve appreciated the strong emotions.

“Well, weren’t you staring at Todd all period,” Charlie said later as he caught up with Neil in the halls. “It was almost endearing.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Neil deadpanned, willing his blush to stop in its tracks and leave the vicinity of his face immediately.

“Of course you don’t.”

Neil huffed louder than he’d intended to. “Stop that.”

“Only if you stop being so blatantly obvious. Oh right, that’s not gonna happen.”

Charlie left him, but his knowing grin was etched onto Neil’s mind for an hour afterwards. How Charlie could know everything was beyond him.

He found Todd in their dorm after his last period, perched at his desk with a mountain of books in front of him. He seemed restless, if the relief that visibly washed over him at Neil’s entrance was any indication. “Hey.”

“Hi.” Neil discarded his bag and sat on his bed. “God, I’m beat.”

“Long day?”

“As always. It helps that it’s Friday.”

“It does.”

Todd turned back to his pile of homework, albeit slightly reluctantly, and Neil felt that usual longing to see him smile, but he figured he was too busy to listen to Neil fumbling his way through bad jokes, though he would be satisfied with an amused and pitying smile too. Really, he wasn’t picky.

He cleared his throat and started speaking anyway. “What you working on?”

“What  _aren’t_ I working on.”

Neil grinned. “Are you gonna spend your whole weekend there?”

“God, I hope not.” Todd turned to him with a horrified look. “Which is why I have to get as much of this done today as I can.”

“How long have you been sitting there?”

“Not too long.”

“You should take a break.”

“Did you miss the part where I don’t want to sit here all weekend?”

“Was that sass I just heard?” Neil stood and walked over to him. “You’re only sassy when you’re stressed. That’s proof enough that you need a break. Just a short one,” he added when Todd opened his mouth to protest. “It’d be good for you.” Without waiting for Todd to reply Neil grabbed his wrist and started pulling him to the bed lightly enough to not make him fall off the chair in the process.

Todd wasn’t smiling good-naturedly like Neil had hoped he would. “Neil, come on, let go of me.”

“The stress must be real bad if you’re reacting like this.”

“Just let me work.”

“You know nothing gets done well when you’re stressed, right?”

Charlie suddenly waltzed in without knocking, barely pausing to observe the situation before him, as if he witnessed Neil trying to drag Todd to bed all the time. “What’re you two up to?”

Todd turned to look at him. “Neil’s forcing me to take a break.”

“How awful. How  _dare_ you do that to him, Neil? I thought you were his friend.”

Neil rolled his eyes. “It’ll be good for him.”

Charlie pointed to the stack of books on the desk. “Maybe wait until he’s gotten through some assignments first. I can’t imagine he’s done much seeing as last period just ended.”

Neil huffed, which he seemed to be doing pretty often around his friend. “You’re supposed to be on my side.”

“Says who? I’m quite interested in helping out my new friend Todd here.” Neil didn’t like the smirk he was wearing. “Do you know what I do when I want Neil to do something but he’s being stubborn?”

Something similar to a smile joined Todd’s curious expression. “What?”

“Incidentally, it’s also the reason I never tell him any secrets because this method would make him blab in a heartbeat.”

“Charlie,” Neil warned, suddenly very aware of what he was referring to.

“Can you not interrupt me when I’m having a conversation? Anyway, what was I saying. Oh right. Tickling. It works like a charm.”

Neil groaned as Todd turned to look at him almost incredulously. “I hate you.”

Charlie took a few steps closer to them. “Trust me, Todd. He’s so unbelievably ticklish that he would do anything to make it stop.”

Neil had expected Charlie’s hand on his upper body, but it didn’t make it tickle any less. With a yelp that transformed into a laugh as Charlie wormed his fingers under the arm that was still holding Todd’s wrist, Neil pulled Todd closer rather than letting him go, and it didn’t take long until he was trapped beneath him on the bed. Charlie didn’t see his current ordeal as any reason to stop though, and Neil was soon an incoherent mess as his friend tortured his neck.

It really didn’t help that Todd was still on top of him.

“Stop!” he cried, for some reason still holding onto Todd as if his life depended on it. “I’ll let him work, just stop!”

Charlie was laughing too when he backed off. “You’re welcome,” he said, and Neil had an inkling that he knew what he was referring to.

Charlie left the room as quickly as he’d arrived, and Neil thanked every god that no one else walked in as they were trying to untangle themselves. Todd finally rolled off of him so that they were both lying on their backs, and for a moment Neil’s slightly heavy breathing was the only sound that was exchanged between them.

Neil was terrified that he’d somehow gone overboard. “I’m sorry. I won’t disturb you when you’re working again.”

“No, no, it’s fine. Please don’t apologize.”

Neil looked at him, and he seemed to mean it. “And sorry about Charlie and his big mouth.”

“He doesn’t have a big mouth. He only gives out valuable information, after all.”

Neil felt his face burn. “I’ll never live this down, will I?”

“Not anytime soon, no.”

Neil sighed dramatically. “I guess I’ll have to accept my fate.”

“It’s not the worst fate though, is it?”

“I guess not.” Neil sat up, somewhat reluctantly, and offered Todd his hand even though he didn’t have to. “Get some work done. I’ll be sulking at my desk until I get too stressed to leave my homework be.”

Todd smiled at him, straight at him, and all was okay.

**Author's Note:**

> Here's my [tumblr](http://nhasablog.tumblr.com) for tickle fics.
> 
> Here's my [tumblr](http://nhasasideblog.tumblr.com) for non-tickle fics.


End file.
